Markas
New member
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2024
- Messages
- 2
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Diagnosis
- 00/0000
- Country
- SW
Hi there!
I feel quite bad to bother you with my question but really need some good at healthy perspective. During the summer of last year I stated to feel weakness in my right hand and some time after also in my arm and leg and really bad swallowing issues and tension in my face/throat/jaw. I was dumb enough to make a visit to doctor Google that convinced me that I had ALS.
I work fast and got to see a neurologist just a few weeks after I started to experience symptoms. They gave me an EnMG and EMG (on the right side of my body in various muscles). The electrophysiological findings indicate mild cervical radiculopathy at the c8/t1 level and mild-to moderate lumbar radiculopathy at the L5 level on the right side. No evidence of diffuse lower motor neuron involvement or polyneuropathy was observed. I trusted my doctor and was relieved by this result
. Although the MRI of the findings in my lower back and neck did not show anything that the neurologist found. Fast forward 6 months and I have done everything that I was told to do. To think of my position when I work, strength training and regular visits to the physiotherapist but I feel weaker instead of stronger. My symptoms are not improving and I have started to feel even more symptoms in my left leg and even have trouble standing on my toes on that leg and started to go left when I am out walking. I have started to get persistent fasciculations (and muscle jumping and twitching) in the muscles that are weaker. And some cramps in the legs.
The face is what bothers me the most with trouble swallowing and even talking (feel like I talk in slow motion and need to catch my breath in between sentences) with extreme fatigue in the muscles when they are used. I have now read that in early cases of ALS, it is rare, but possible that an EMG can misinterpret ALS forradiculopathy. Because the MRI did not see anything that confirmed what he EMG found and that the symptoms in my right leg and face are worsening I am starting to question everything. Something I promised myself not to do. I laso question that the LMN that can be shown on the EMG was not too clear and that the doctor could not see any UMN on the clinical exam since I was too fast to see them after I started feeling light symptoms.
I have read the great text written here as to what to know before posting but since my EMG was not entirely clean I just need some perspective to know if it is possible that this could be worse and that the extreme fatigue I fell in my face and loss of strength and fasciculations in my left leg could be something (the left side was not tested on my EMG).
Sorry for the really long text and thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read my question.
I feel quite bad to bother you with my question but really need some good at healthy perspective. During the summer of last year I stated to feel weakness in my right hand and some time after also in my arm and leg and really bad swallowing issues and tension in my face/throat/jaw. I was dumb enough to make a visit to doctor Google that convinced me that I had ALS.
I work fast and got to see a neurologist just a few weeks after I started to experience symptoms. They gave me an EnMG and EMG (on the right side of my body in various muscles). The electrophysiological findings indicate mild cervical radiculopathy at the c8/t1 level and mild-to moderate lumbar radiculopathy at the L5 level on the right side. No evidence of diffuse lower motor neuron involvement or polyneuropathy was observed. I trusted my doctor and was relieved by this result
. Although the MRI of the findings in my lower back and neck did not show anything that the neurologist found. Fast forward 6 months and I have done everything that I was told to do. To think of my position when I work, strength training and regular visits to the physiotherapist but I feel weaker instead of stronger. My symptoms are not improving and I have started to feel even more symptoms in my left leg and even have trouble standing on my toes on that leg and started to go left when I am out walking. I have started to get persistent fasciculations (and muscle jumping and twitching) in the muscles that are weaker. And some cramps in the legs.
The face is what bothers me the most with trouble swallowing and even talking (feel like I talk in slow motion and need to catch my breath in between sentences) with extreme fatigue in the muscles when they are used. I have now read that in early cases of ALS, it is rare, but possible that an EMG can misinterpret ALS forradiculopathy. Because the MRI did not see anything that confirmed what he EMG found and that the symptoms in my right leg and face are worsening I am starting to question everything. Something I promised myself not to do. I laso question that the LMN that can be shown on the EMG was not too clear and that the doctor could not see any UMN on the clinical exam since I was too fast to see them after I started feeling light symptoms.
I have read the great text written here as to what to know before posting but since my EMG was not entirely clean I just need some perspective to know if it is possible that this could be worse and that the extreme fatigue I fell in my face and loss of strength and fasciculations in my left leg could be something (the left side was not tested on my EMG).
Sorry for the really long text and thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read my question.
Last edited by a moderator:
